Lost and Found
by ladyhawk89
Summary: After the defeat of Beryl and Metallia, the Senshi gang tries to get back to normal. But when a new enemy threatens to turn their lives upside down, they must prepare themselves to fight for their lives. *Sequel to "Looking for You" Rated T for difficult content.
1. Prologue

_Hello all! I'm back in action. For all who are here because you read __**Looking for You**__, welcome back, and I hope you enjoy this as much as the first story. For those that haven't read __**Looking for You**__, thank you for coming here, but you're going to have to read the first story or you won't understand what's going on. So sorry, but this _is_ a sequel, after all. Also, just so you know, I have officially made the transition to real working adult (absolute rubbish decision on my part, but no turning back now) so while I will try to make the updates on this story at least monthly, I can't really make any promises. But the story __**will**__ be finished…eventually. Enjoy!_

**Prologue **

Usagi ran as fast as her aching legs could carry her. Around her, Tokyo lay in shambles, but she didn't dare slow down to assess the damage. There was nothing she could do to help now, and the man chasing her was getting too close.

"Slow down, little Rabbit," he growled at her. "Don't you want me to send you to be with your mommy?" Usagi gasped as her steps faltered. Her parents weren't…they couldn't be…

A beam of crimson energy shot past her, stirring her hair. It was enough to startle her back into a run. Her destination was close and in the distance she could see her way out. Her heart thudded in her ears. In the distance she could make out the figure of the one person left she knew could help.

"Pluto!" Sailor Pluto turned at the sound of the young princess' cry. When she saw the man chasing her she raised the Garnet Rod and hit him with the Dead Scream. It caught Usagi's attacker dead on, but with only enough force to stun him. Then, to Usagi's distress, Pluto sank to the ground, clutching the Garnet Rod for support. Usagi sprinted the rest of the distance and dropped by her side.

"Pluto, you're hurt!" she gasped. There was so much blood. Usagi couldn't tell where it was coming from, but Pluto had clearly lost a lot. For the first time the princess saw the remnants of the battle that Pluto had fought. There were bodies of strange looking monsters strewn across the rubble of the once beautiful buildings of downtown Tokyo. Usagi didn't let her eyes linger on the destruction for too long. Pluto took a deep breath and pulled herself up.

"I'll be ok," she said. "Where are your parents?" Tears threatened to spill from the young girl's eyes.

"I…I don't know," she told Pluto. "Some…some people attacked us at home and…and Daddy told me to run."

"And your mother?" Pluto pressed. Usagi shook her head sadly.

"I don't know. She was…." Pluto put her arm around Usagi and let her cry into her shoulder for a moment.

"Usagi," she said, "where is the Crystal?" Usagi's tears stopped immediately. She looked away from Pluto.

"I…It's gone. I don't know where…" The man with red hair began to stir. Pluto's sharp ears caught the sound and she moved Usagi behind her.

"Listen to me, Small Lady," she said gently. "You have to get away from here. I'll take care of him. You just run and get someplace safe."

"Where do I go?" Usagi asked, crying once more. Pluto reached into a sub-space pocket and pulled out a ball shaped like a cat's head.

"You remember when I gave this to you?" Pluto asked. Usagi nodded.

"You said it would be my friend when I needed one." Pluto smiled and nodded.

"That's right. Keep this with you and you will always have me with you."

"Where am I going?" Usagi asked. "Won't you be with me?" Pluto shook her head.

"Right now you have to go on without me. I have to stay here and give you a chance to get away. I'm going to send you someplace you'll be safe."

"Puu," Usagi whimpered and clutched at Pluto. "I don't want to leave you. I can't…" Pluto pulled away and looked at Usagi sternly.

"You have to be brave now," she said. "Your only concern now is to stay safe. Do as I say."

"But my parents-"Usagi started.

"I'll look after your parents," Pluto promised. She raised the Garnet Rod once more and summoned the Time Gate. Fog rolled across the ruins where they stood and the ancient door swung open.

"Puu," Usagi whispered. "I'm scared." Pluto smiled at the young girl sadly.

"I know. But everything will be fine." Usagi could hear the uncertainty in her voice, but she put on as brave a face as she could summon. Pluto pulled Usagi to her once more, heedless of the blood staining her shirt – it wouldn't matter soon. Then she pushed Usagi through the gate.

"Find Usagi Tsukino!" Pluto called after her. The Time Gate closed with a thud, and the world around chibi-Usa Chiba went dark


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Concentrate on the pull of the crystal. Do you feel it?"

"I feel…something warm."

"Call that feeling to you."

"I'm… I'm trying."

"You must use the words of power. Repeat after me: _'Moon Crystal Power!'_" Usagi opened her eyes and laughed incredulously.

"Seriously?" Luna met her laughter with an irritated glare.

"Concentrate!" she snapped at her young charge. "It's important that you learn to control the Crystal's power and call up your henshin."

"Alright! Alright," Usagi said, rolling her eyes. "Moon Crystal Power." She sat expectantly as her words echoed around the empty room. After a moment she looked back at Luna and shrugged. "It didn't work." She tried to look nonchalant, but Luna could tell by the slight clenching of her jaw she was getting frustrated.

"We'll just have to try again," Luna said, trying her best to sound encouraging. Usagi's face fell and she toppled over sideways.

"Come on, Luna!" Usagi whined. "We've been at this for three hours! I can't concentrate anymore. Can I puh-lease do this later?" Luna looked like she was about to refuse, but they had already been in the dojo longer than Luna anticipated and she didn't want Rei's grandfather to stumble across them and ask prying questions. Besides which, Usagi actually _had _been working hard up until the last half hour.

"Fine. You're free to go." Luna sighed and shook her head while Usagi leapt up to her feet and ran out of the temple's dojo to find Rei. Usagi was a sweet girl and Luna liked her a lot. During the past couple of months since the battle, she had been training first with Setsuna and Haruka, and when they had left, with Luna, Artemis and Minako.

It was slow going to begin with. Usagi had discovered that she had only been able to control the Crystal's power before because she had been under a terrific amount of stress. But when she couldn't access the power immediately, she hadn't been discouraged and with a lot of hard work and the help of her friends, she managed to get to the point where could connect with the energy of the Crystal and call up a protective force field around her without a debilitating drain on her energy. And that's where she was stuck. Luna was at a loss as to what to do. She had given Usagi the henshin phrase, just as she had with the other girls, but it didn't work.

This day, Luna decided to have a crack at training Usagi on her own, hoping that fewer distractions would make it easier for Usagi, but nothing changed. Luna frowned. It shouldn't be so difficult for Usagi to access. It hadn't been nearly as difficult for the girls to call up their henshin, and Usagi was theoretically more powerful than any of them.

"Rei, is your friend still meditating in the dojo?" Luna heard Rei's grandfather yell outside. She stood and stretched her front paws out in front of her. It was time to go. Maybe, she thought, the best thing she could do was to be patient. Luna leapt out of the window in the back of the room just as Rei's grandfather slid the screen door open.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Usagi was relieved to be done with training for the day. She hated disappointing Luna, but not nearly as much as she hated training. It had been kind of fun at the beginning of the summer when she could feel the effects of training- especially when she had _finally_ connected with the crystal. But then she stopped advancing. Usagi felt like she was stuck right on the edge of unlocking something big if she could just push a little bit harder. It was the most frustrating thing Usagi had ever gone through.

"Lapis lazuli." Startled from her musings, Usagi looked over at her boyfriend, Mamoru Chiba and scrunched up her nose.

"What now?" Mamoru smiled and lay back on the grass.

"I was trying to decide what color your eyes are," he explained. "It changes, and today it reminds me of lapis lazuli. It's a rare stone that has these intense shades of blue in it. It's beautiful and your eyes remind me of it."

Usagi blushed slightly and grinned down at Mamoru. She brushed her fingers against his and Mamoru turned his palm up so he could lace his fingers around hers.

"You have nice eyes, too," she told him.

"The soul of a poet you have _not_," Mamoru teased her. Usagi sucked her teeth and disengaged her hand from his.

"Aren't you supposed to be Prince Charming, or something?" she asked, in mock annoyance. Mamoru reached up and tweaked the end of Usagi's long hair.

"Only when I'm in a tux, babe." Usagi swatted his hand away, and giggled. Mamoru smiled back and tucked his hands behind his head. Usagi watched him for a moment before she stretched out on the grass beside him and smiled slightly as she watched the clouds. Of all the things good and bad that had come out of her being the lost moon princess, he was the best, she decided. Although it was hard to distinguish her own feelings from the memories of the intense feelings Serenity had for Endymion, Usagi knew that she was just about completely in love with him.

Usagi had to hide a scowl at the thought of her past self. Serenity was another frustrating addition to her life. Since she had made her grand appearance at the final battle with Beryl, Usagi had had to deal with sporadic memories of life during the Silver Millennium, or unasked for reminders of court etiquette during dinner. Usagi's mother was happy that her daughter wasn't scarfing down food wolfishly anymore, but Usagi wished the princess would keep her opinions of her eating habits to herself.

_Well, at least you are learning to carry yourself with more grace,_ Serenity's high bred voice whispered in Usagi's head. _You do not trip over yourself nearly as often anymore._

"What's the matter?" Usagi was pulled from her thoughts by Mamoru shaking her hand.

"It's nothing," she said quickly and sat up. Mamoru quirked an eyebrow knowingly and rolled on to his side, propping himself up on his elbow.

"And by nothing you mean something? Is it training?" Usagi sighed in annoyance and shook her head.

"Not this time. It's Serenity," she complained. "Is Endymion this hard to share head space with?" Mamoru shook his head sympathetically.

"He's been silent since…you know." Usagi nodded. Mamoru seemed as determined not to spend too much thought on their final showdown with Beryl as she was. "But, then," Mamoru added thoughtfully, "I had already had a lot of memories from before, anyway."

"Well, count yourself lucky," Usagi mumbled. "For such a proper princess, Serenity can be a snarky brat."

"I've got news for you, my dear," Mamoru said, grinning at Usagi cheekily. "You're not exactly without a touch of snark yourself."

"Ha!" Usagi laughed sarcastically. "There's that charm again!"

"You know you love it, Odango Atama." Usagi looked at Mamoru crossly.

"Are you still making fun of my hair?" She reached up and touched her hair. "Seriously, Mr. 'I'll-wear-just-about-anything'?" Usagi reached out and tweaked the collar of Mamoru's coral polo shirt.

"I like this shirt," Mamoru said with mock indignation. "And I'm trying out nicknames for you."

"Think of another one!" Usagi insisted.

"What? I think your Odangos are cute!" Mamoru laughed. He scooted out of dodge as Usagi swung at him.

"Alright, fine," Usagi said, huffing. "Then I'll come up with a fun new nickname for you. How about…Snookums? Or Muffin? Oh! Wait! I've got it! Snookie-wookums!" Mamoru's face got progressively redder with each new name. Usagi smirked triumphantly. "And I'll call you that every time you call me Odango Atama."

"Ok!" he said. "Fine. I'll lay off with Odango Atama. You fight dirty." Usagi giggled and stretched back out beside him.

"You know you love it," she said, turning his words back on him. "Mamo-chan." Mamoru smiled at that and played with a bit of her hair.

"I do," he agreed. Then he changed the subject to something he thought Usagi would like better. "When do you find out about the skate competition?"

"Sometime this week," Usagi said. She sat up again and nonchalantly stared out onto the lake. Nearly a month earlier, Usagi had tried out for a skate expo. Luna had tried to talk her out of it because she thought it would be an unnecessary distraction for her trainee, but Usagi was determined to lead as normal a life as possible. Fortunately, Haruka, Minako and Artemis had agreed with her.

"You're nervous," Mamoru guessed. Usagi frowned and looked down at him.

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm learning," Mamoru said grinning proudly. "You don't look me in the eye when you're trying not to be scared. Remember the rollercoaster at the amusement park? You wouldn't look me in the eye when you insisted you wanted to ride it, and then you spent the entire ride clinging to my arm and trying not to scream."

"Hey!" Usagi protested. Mamoru shrugged, his grin widening.

"Not that I minded-"

"We are spending too much time together," Usagi grumbled. Then immediately she brightened. "That reminds me, we have an anniversary coming up soon. We'll be together three months next Tuesday!"

"Wouldn't we have had to have been together for at least a year to call it an anniversary?" Mamoru asked. Usagi hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"Buzz kill!" she admonished. "School just started a couple of weeks ago, and I need as many distractions as possible." Mamoru was going to make a comment about her not needing any more distractions from her studies, but thought better of it. As much as he loved their little arguments, he had learned quickly and early that her grades were a sore point not to be brought up too often.

"How are the guys doing?" Usagi asked after a few moments of silence. "I haven't seen them in a while."

"Three days is a while?" Mamoru scoffed. "They're fine. They found and apartment not too far from me, so they're _finally _getting ready to move out. It's nice place. Four bedrooms."

"Four!" Usagi blinked in surprise. "_In_ Tokyo? Isn't that crazy expensive? How'd they manage that?"

"Apparently Beryl sent Nephrite and Jadeite with a nice fortune in jewels on their last mission for her. They cashed it in and are living off of that."

"Nice to know that hag was good for _something_," Usagi grumbled.

"Yeah," Mamoru concurred. "They'll have to find work eventually, though. The money will probably last a good long while, but they aren't Bill Gates rich."

"That'll be fun," Usagi said. She giggled, picturing Kunzite in a McDonald's uniform. "Haruka will be sorry if she misses _that_!"

The Outer Senshi were gone. Michiru and Haruka had gotten accepted into a year long music program at Julliard in New York City, and Setsuna was in Italy, working at _Vogue_ _Italia_. Hotaru had gone with her and would be starting middle school there. Usagi missed them, a lot, but it was exciting that so much was happening for her friends after the year they had had. It had been a good summer for everyone.

"Is something else on your mind?" Mamoru asked. He sat up and moved closer to Usagi. She snapped out of her drifting thoughts and smiled at Mamoru.

"I was thinking about what a great summer this turned out to be," she said. "And what a great boyfriend I've got."

"Should I be jealous," Mamoru asked playfully. Usagi grinned and winked at him.

"Maybe a little," she said. "He's got a way with words."

"Good looking?" Mamrou asked.

"He's definitely in the top five." Usagi smiled and looked at Mamoru from the side of her eye. He was frowning a bit.

"Who's number one?" Usagi looked at him and was about to answer, when she was cut off by a sudden roll of thunder. Dark clouds appeared overhead and something large and heavy landed on Usagi. Bewildered Usagi tried to untangle herself from the bundle, which seemed to be squirming as well. Finally she managed to get back onto her knees, with Mamoru crouched protectively beside her. To their united surprised, it was a little girl who had landed on Usagi. She couldn't have been more than five or six years old. She had pink hair in the same style as Usagi's trademark buns, and eyes as pink as her hair. On the ground beside her was a giant ball that looked strangely like Luna's head, with the same crescent mark on its forehead. She picked it up and looked at the pair with her wide, innocent eyes, before she fixed her gaze on Usagi.

"Usagi Tsukino?" she asked. Confused, Usagi nodded her head silently. The little girl's expression suddenly became grimly determined as she tossed the ball into the air with. With a _pop_ and a poof of pink smoke, it became a handgun, which the little girl aimed at Usagi's forehead.

"You have the Silver Crystal. Give it to me."

"What the crap?" Usagi cried, throwing herself backwards. Mamoru leapt forward and grabbed the gun from the little girl's hand.

"Are you insane? Where did you get this?" he demanded, holding the gun out of her reach. The little girl pummeled Mamoru with her tiny fists.

"Give it back! Give it back to me!" she screamed. Usagi looked around to see if there was anyone around to see what was happening, but there was no one else in that immediate area of the park. She got to her feet and grabbed the little girl from behind to pull her off of Mamoru. She turned her attack on Usagi's arms, and the older girl flinched. The little girl's fists may have been tiny, but she had unusual strength for such a small child. Mamoru moved a bit away and examined the gun, frowning.

"It's fake," he said at last.

"What?" Usagi looked up from where she was struggling to keep her hold on the little girl. Mamoru aimed the gun at the tree near when they had been sitting and pulled the trigger. A black suction dart flew out of the barrel and hit the trunk. Shocked, Usagi relaxed her grip on the girl who squirmed out of Usagi's arms and promptly turned and kicked her in the shin.

"Ow! What is your problem?" Usagi screamed. "Is this some kind of sick joke, you little brat?" The little girl glared murderously at Usagi, and then she snatched the gun away from Mamoru and it turned back into a cat's head. The girl raised the cat shaped ball over her head and slammed it to the ground. A cloud of smoke erupted from the ground, choking Usagi and Mamoru.

"What is this?"Usagi demanded between coughing fits. When the smoke cleared, the little girl was gone.

"She's gone…" Mamoru said. He looked as dazed as Usagi felt.

"Where did she go?" Usagi asked, looking around. "Where did she come from?"

"I don't see her anywhere," Mamoru answered her. "But I could swear she came from the sky. In fact that the only explanation I can think of."

"From the sky!" Usagi threw her arms in the air in exasperation. "And you say that like it's a normal…never mind." She tugged at one of her pony tails agitatedly.

"Should we look for her?" she asked. Mamoru shook his head helplessly.

"I think the best we can do now is to tell a police officer," he said.

"And tell them what? A pink haired little girl fell from the sky and is running around the park threatening people with a toy gun?" Usagi's face darkened at the memory. "Where did that thing come from anyway? Where'd she get a cat head ball that turns into a dart gun?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Mamoru answered, equally as mystified. "She knew your name, _and_ about the Crystal."

"How would she know all that?" Usagi frowned at the trees surrounding them, hoping for a glimpse of the girl.

"I don't know," Mamoru said. "And I don't think I like it. We'll tell the others about it. It could be trouble." Usagi turned away from Mamoru, glaring at the ground, reminded of all the bad things that had happened as a result of finding out she was the lost princess. The last thing she wanted was _more_ trouble around the Silver Crystal. Mamoru saw the dark expression on her face and put his arm around her comfortingly.

"Hey," he said, bringing her attention away from her thoughts. "It's going to be alright. We'll handle it together. Why don't I walk you home?" He offered her his arm. Usagi hesitated, but took his arm with a slight, forced smile. There was nothing else for them to do.

"That sounds good."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Where do you think that girl went?" Usagi asked. She and Mamoru had kept an eye out for her on their way out of the park, but they never caught another glimpse of the little girl with the strange pink hair.

"I don't know," Mamoru said with a small frown. "I hope she found her parents at least."

"_I'd_ like to find her parents," Usagi growled. Mamoru laughed a bit and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Still not over that fake gun thing, huh?" he asked. Usagi scowled up at him.

"I'm a little upset that you are," she said, poking him in the chest. "She had a gun pointed at me, you know."

"Fake gun," Mamoru corrected.

"We didn't know that when she pulled it," Usagi wailed dramatically. "I could be dead! Brains splattered across the playground. They would've had to bury me in a closed casket."

"Tragic," Mamoru said drily before he kissed Usagi's forehead. "You're far too pretty for anything but a glass coffin." Usagi jabbed Mamoru in the ribs and sneered at him.

"Aw! You're so sweet!" They approached Usagi's neighborhood , keeping an eye out for Usagi's father. He had accepted the fact that Usagi and Mamoru were dating, but only just. Such blatant displays of affection as Mamoru's arm draped over his daughter's shoulder still sent him into a rage.

They rounded the corner to Usagi's street and headed down the street. When they got within view of Usagi's house, the pair froze. Usagi's entire family was out front and gathered around something.

"What's going on?" Usagi wondered out loud. Mamoru shrugged and let his arm slip from Usagi's shoulder and caught her hand. Usagi smiled at him briefly and turned back to her family huddle.

"Mom? Dad?" she called when they got closer. Ikuko and Kenji looked up at their daughter. Ikuko smiled brightly when she saw the pair, but Kenji's face darkened and his eyes narrowed at their intertwined hands.

"Mamoru, how nice to see you!" Ikuko said cheerfully. Kenji mumbled something polite to Mamoru and turned to Usagi.

"We have a guest," he told her. "You remember your cousin, Chibi-Usa." He stepped aside and Usagi and Mamoru let out twin gasps of shock. Standing in front of Usagi's house, holding her brother's hand, was the little pink haired girl from the park.

"Hi, Usagi!" she said, energetically throwing her arms around the older girl's torso.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

"Minako, can't this wait?" Artemis asked exasperatedly. Minako made a determined beeline through the supermarket aisles, while her white cat tried to stay as hidden as possible under the food shelves.

"Look, I've been craving chips _all_ week, and with Mom on her health kick, I have to get my fix when I can," Minako said, exasperatedly. Artemis poked his head out and rolled his eyes at his young charge.

"Ever think that a little less junk in your diet might not be so bad?" he suggested drily.

"Hey, I'm 16 and very active," Minako said defensively. "These are my junk eating years. I'll worry about my weight when I'm old. Like 30 or something. There!" Minako spotted the shrimp flavored chips she was searching for. Unfortunately, there were only a few bags left, perched just out of reach on the top shelf. Minako stood on her tip-toes and stretched her fingers out as far as they would go, but she only just barely felt the end of the cellophane bag.

"C'mon!" she muttered. "Come to mama!"

"Maybe it's a sign that you're not supposed to have them," Artemis said. Minako made a face at him, before immediately shifting gears and smiling saccharinely at him.

"Or maybe it's time to finally make yourself useful," she said.

"Finally make myself…What d'ya mean '_finally'_?" Artemis glared up at Minako.

"Come on, Artemis," Minako pleaded. "You could just jump up on top and push a bag down to me." Artemis ducked back under the shelves, his hackles raised.

"Not a chance! I'm not even supposed to be in here!"

"No one's watching! The store's practically empty! Please, Artemis? _Please_?" Artemis said nothing, but simply looked reproachfully up at Minako until she finally gave up. With an exasperated huff, she went back to trying to reach the snacks herself.

"Do you need some help?" Minako turned to find Kunzite looking somewhat amused. She teetered on the edge of embarrassment, before shrugging it off and pointing to her prize.

"Some evil person put my favorite chips just out of my reach," she lamented dramatically. "I need a stepping stool or a claw grabber or I'll just die!" Kunzite raised one immaculate, pale eyebrow and grabbed a bag for Minako.

"I find it surprising that someone of your… _experience_ would make such a fuss over a bag of potato chips." Minako frowned as she snatched the bag from Kunzite.

"You suck all the fun out of being a drama queen," she told him. "Thanks for the chips though." She opened the bag and ate one, ignoring Artemis' protests that she hadn't paid for them yet. Kunzite smirked and started to walk away from them.

"I would go easy on those, Minako," he said over his shoulder. "It would be terrible for the captain of the Princess' guard to be too pudgy for her uniform." Minako defiantly crunched on another chip.

"I'll have you know that pudgy people are happier!" she said. Kunzite ignored her and disappeared down a different aisle. Minako fumed behind him.

"That guy is lucky he's cute," she told Artemis, with a smirk. "Or he'd have absolutely _no _redeeming qualities."

"Nice to see your priorities are straight," Artemis said sarcastically. "Now can you go pay for those before you get arrested for shoplifting?"

"I'm going!" Minako threw her hands up exasperatedly. "It's like you've been taking nagging lessons from Luna." Artemis shook his head and followed Minako sneakily to the front of the store.

"Teenage girls," he muttered, irritated.

There was no sign of Kunzite when the two left the store minutes later. Minako put a hand on her hip and huffed irritably.

"He could at least have said good-bye," she complained. Artemis rolled his eyes.

"He's a busy man, Minako," he reminded her. "He's the leader of the Prince's guard. That kind of job comes with a lot of responsibility. _Hint, hint!_"

"Oh, lay off, Artemis." Minako waved him off and popped another chip in her mouth. "We train three times a week. What more do you and Luna want?" Artemis started to reply when Minako's communicator went off. It startled the girl so much that she dropped the half eaten bag of chips on the ground. With one regretful look at it, Minako turned on the communicator. Usagi's face came up on the screen and Minako was immediately on edge. Usagi looked torn between worry and…annoyance.

"Minako, there's something strange going on," she said. "I need you at my house now!"

"On my way!" Minako snapped the screen shut and took off running in the direction of Usagi's house.

"Wait!" Artemis cried, standing over the bag of chips. "You can't just leave this here!"

"Watch me!" Minako called, flashing the peace sign over her shoulder. After all, this could be an emergency.

Minako made it to Usagi's house about ten minutes later, red faced and panting, but prepared for the worst. What she wasn't prepared for, however, was the intense stare down Usagi was having with a small girl with pink hair. Mamoru was there, but none of the other Senshi were there. She paused for a moment, utterly confused. Mamoru spotted her first.

"What's going on?" she asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"Are you ok?" Mamoru asked, ignoring her question. Minako waved him off.

"I just ran four miles," she told him. "I'm fine. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on," Usagi jumped in angrily. "This brat has managed to brainwash my entire family into believing that she's our cousin. I want to know what you did to them, now!" Usagi's voice lowered dangerously and she glared into the girl's pink eyes. Mamoru took Usagi by the shoulder's and guided her away from the girl, who seemed to be ready to kick Usagi in the shins.

"What in the world…?" Minako looked from Mamoru and Usagi to the little girl. "Ok, let's start at the beginning. Who are you?" The little girl looked up at Minako and pouted cutely.

"I'm Usagi Tsukino," she told Minako.

"That's _my_ name, you lying brat!" Usagi interjected angrily. The little girl made a face at her and turned back to Minako.

"I'm Usagi, too," she said. "But everyone calls me Chibi-Usa. I'm Usagi's cousin." Mamoru had an arm around Usagi's waist and managed to calm her down enough to not attack the child.

"That's not what my friend says," Minako replied calmly. "Why is that?"

"Because Usagi is an idiot," Chibi-Usa said simply.

"That is it!" Usagi strained against Mamrou's hold and for the first time he realized just how strong the training sessions had made her. "Who are you, really? Why do you know about the Silver Crystal? Who sent you?" Usagi did her best to strike at the little girl from around Mamoru. Chibi-Usa ducked around to the other side of Minako and stuck her tongue out at the irate teen.

"Usagi, please calm down," Mamoru pleaded with her, struggling with her flailing limbs. "Your family is right inside. We can't talk about this here. Minako, help!"

"She knows about the Crystal?" Minako asked, shocked. She looked down at Chibi-Usa, who suddenly seemed to be trying to become invisible. Minako's face set determinedly and she looked back at Usagi and Mamoru. "He's right. We can't talk here." Minako flipped open her wrist communicator and grabbed a hold of Chibi-Usa's hand.  
"Hey! Let go!" Chibi-Usa whined. She tried to pry Minako's hand from her wrist, but the older girl didn't even seem to notice. Rei's face popped up on the screen, and she looked surprised to see Minako.

"What's up, Mina?" she asked.

"We need to have an emergency meeting at your place," Minako said gravely. Rei suddenly got as serious as Mina.

"Trouble?" she asked. Minako looked down at Chibi-Usa and frowned uncertainly.

"It could be," she said. "Call Ami and Makoto. We'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Right." Rei nodded and then the screen went blank.

"I should call the Generals," Mamoru said. Usagi had grudgingly stopped struggling, but he still had his arms draped loosely around her just in case.

'You think that's necessary?" Minako asked him. "This doesn't really concern them at this point." Mamoru nodded.

"If it concerns me, it concerns them," he said, looking significantly at Usagi.

"Alright," Minako agreed with a shrug. "Fine. Have them meet us at Rei's. Let's go, Chibi-Usa."

"Where are you taking me?" the little girl asked, nervously. Minako smiled brightly.

"Ever seen a real temple before?"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Chibi-Usa went reluctantly with the three. She was quiet the entire way to Rei's, which was just fine with Usagi, who kept shooting her dark, suspicious looks. Mamoru stood between his girlfriend and the child, in case Usagi should get the urge to attack Chibi-Usa.

"So, how old are you…Chibi-Usa?" Minako asked, trying to break the tension.

"Six," Chibi-Usa replied shortly. She didn't offer any more about herself. She fell silent again and Minako was left feeling the awkwardness of the moment had somehow increased. After a moment, she cleared her throat and with much relief noticed that they were only a few blocks from Rei's house.

"Where do your parents live?" Minako tried once more to get some information out of Chbi-Usa, but the little girl just pouted sullenly at the ground. Minako bit back a sigh and resisted rolling her eyes. Maybe one of the other girls would have an easier time getting her to talk.

When they got to the foot of the temple stairs, Chibi-Usa looked up and blanched. She looked from Mamoru to Minako with wide eyes.

"I have to walk up _all_ those stairs?" she asked incredulously. Usagi rolled her eyes and exchanged a glace with Mamoru and Minako.

"That is a lot of stairs," Mamoru agreed. "How about I give you a lift?" He crouched down and Chibi-Usa jumped onto his back with a gleeful grin. Mamoru glanced over at Usagi and saw her staring at the little girl as if she suspected that Chibi-Usa would cut his throat. He gave Usagi a reassuring smile and nudged her gently. Usagi shrugged and followed him up the stairs, though it was clear that she wasn't happy.

Ami, Makoto and Nephrite were already there with Rei when they reached the top of the stairs. They were huddled together under a tree near the edge of the property and looking apprehensive, but the apprehension turned into confusion when they saw Chibi-Usa on Mamoru's back. And the confusion deepened when they saw the absolutely thunderous look on Usagi's face.

"Um…who's she?" Makoto asked.

"We don't know," Minako said. "She _says_ she's Usagi's cousin."  
"Which she isn't," Usagi jumped in.

"Yes I am!" Chibi-Usa insisted. "Just because you don't remember-

"Cut the crap, you grimy little liar!" Usagi snapped at her. "You are _not_ my cousin. I don't know what you did to my family but if you hurt them, I'll-"  
"Okay! Everybody calm down!" Mamoru called out above the developing fight. He stepped in between Usagi and Chibi-Usa, and Minako gently guided her friend a bit away from the little girl.

"We should start at the beginning," Ami suggested. "What is your name?"

"Chibi-Usa." The girl looked at the group sullenly.

"Are you Usagi's cousin?" Usagi's face flushed angrily and glared at Chibi-Usa, but she stayed quiet while the girl answered.

"Yes," Chibi-Usa told Ami forcefully.

"Where do you live?" Ami asked.

"With Usagi. With her and Auntie Ikuko and Uncle Kenji and Shingo." Usagi bit her lip and pulled against Minako's grip on her arm a bit.

"Where did you live before?" Ami clarified. "Where do your parents live?" Instead of answering, Chibi-Usa began to cry. She sat on the ground and sobbed into her hands. Her distress was so earnest that even Usagi felt sorry for her. All the fight went out of her in a moment, but she didn't make a move towards the girl. Ami reached out and patted her back gently.

"It's ok," she said. "You're safe here." Chibi-Usa looked up at Ami with watery eyes, and then launched herself into the older girl's arms. Ami let her cry herself out for a bit. When Chibi-Usa's sobbing slowed down, Ami pulled her gently away. Chibi-Usa wiped the rest of the tears for her face.

"We're here!" They turned to see the rest of the generals arrive at the top of the stairs. Jadeite looked at Chibi-Usa quizzically.

"Who's she?" he asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Nephrite told them. "She says she's Usagi's cousin."

"Well, what's the problem?" Kunzite asked.

"She's _not_ my cousin," Usagi told them. But most of the venom was gone from her voice. When Chibi-Usa shot her a dirty look, Usagi returned it only half-heartedly.

"I _am too_!" Chibi-Usa insisted. Mamoru knelt down beside her and looked at her sternly.

"Chibi-Usa-"

"Chibi-Usa?" Zoicite cut in.

"Her name is also Usagi," Minako explained.

'I see…" Zoicite said uncertainly. Mamoru looked up to see if anyone else was going to jump in. Then he turned back to Chibi-Usa.

"We need you to tell us the truth. Where are you from?" he asked not unkindly. Chibi-Usa started to answer and then stopped and frowned. A look of almost pure panic passed her face. She looked up at Mamoru with her eyes wide and full of fear.

"I…I can't remember!" she said. "Why can't I remember? My- parents sent me for help. But I can't remember from...from where! I'm supposed to-to help!" Chibi-Usa started crying again. She looked around at the older people around her and for a moment she lingered on Usagi's still distrusting face. Then she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

She couldn't even remember what her bedroom looked like. She felt so absolutely helpless for the first time since she left her home. The only thing she could remember was that she needed the Silver Crystal and Usagi Tsukino was the key. Chibi-Usa threw herself at Usagi and pulled at her clothes desperately.

"I_ need_ the Silver Crystal," she cried. "_Please_! I need it to save my Mommy and Daddy!" Usagi looked at her friends for help while she tried to pull Chibi-Usa off of her.

"Wait, she knows about the Silver Crystal?" Rei demanded. She looked at Usagi, her expression just short of accusation.

"Don't give me that look," Usagi shot at her. "_I_ didn't say anything!"

"We were just getting to that, actually," Minako told everyone sheepishly as she knelt down to help Mamoru pry Chibi-Usa off of her friend.

"Just calm down and tell us what's going on," Usagi said in a way that was meant to be soothing, but just came off frazzled. Minako moved her a bit away from Usagi, as much to comfort the girl as to put some distance between her and Usagi. Everyone was watching Chibi-Usa with a mixture of pity and suspicion.

"How do you know about the Crystal?" Kunzite asked. His piercing, hawkish eyes narrowed at the sniffling girl. Chibi-Usa shrank away from him, and Minako looked up at him reproachfully.

"You don't have much experience with kids, do you?" She rolled her eyes at him, and then turned back to Chibi-Usa. "Why don't you tell us what you can remember, sweetie? There's nothing to be afraid of here."

"I…," she started with an uncertain look at Usagi and Kunzite. Usagi moved back slightly, self-consciously rubbing her arm. Makoto knelt down next to Minako with a gentle smile.

"I understand," she said. "You're scared without your parents. I know some of us-" with a pointed look at Kunzite, "-can come across a little intimidating, but no one is going to hurt you here. I promise. And when you finish telling us about yourself, I'll give you some cookies."

"Makoto makes great cookies," Ami endorsed. After a few more minutes of cajoling, Chibi-Usa calmed down enough to tell them what she could remember.

"I can't remember everything," she told them. "My house was attacked at night. My daddy woke me up and he was trying to get me out, but the man with red hair hit him. He told me to keep running and I did. I was looking for my mommy, but she wasn't there. Daddy was fighting the man, but he kept yelling for me to run. I went out of the house, but there were all these people everywhere. Then there was a flash and the buildings were exploding, so I kept running until I found Puu-"

"Who is Puu?" Minako asked.

"My mommy and daddy's friend," she said. "She was hurt, but she sent me here to keep me safe."

"Sent you here from where?" Chibi-Usa shut down. She dropped her gaze to the ground and screwed her face as if she were trying not to cry. She couldn't remember. Why couldn't she remember? Minako put her hand under Chibi-Usa's chin and raised her head.

"I don't remember?" Chibi-Usa told her miserably. Behind her, Minako could almost feel the distrust radiating off of her friends, but she kept her face calm.

"What did your friend send you here to protect you from?" she asked. That Chibi-Usa could answer. She remembered her parents and their friends' hushed conversations and the name that they whispered when they thought Chibi-Usa wasn't listening.

"The Black Moon Clan," she told the group.

-:-:-:-:-:-

After Chibi-Usa's story, Minako pulled Rei, Kunzite, Nephrite and Jadeite to the side. A lot of the girl's story didn't add up, and the enormous chunks of information she couldn't remember was suspicious. Minako didn't get a bad vibe from Chibi-Usa herself, but then, she wasn't psychic.

"What do you think?" she asked them as soon as they were far enough away not to be overheard.

"I'm not inclined to trust her," Kunzite said bluntly.

"Yeah, I got that," Minako told him. "I was really asking these three." She pointed to Rei and the other two generals. Kunzite closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Then why did you bring me over?" he asked. Minako looked confused at the question.

"We're like co-captains," she said. "Of course you're in on the meetings."

"What?" Kunzite said. But Minako was already back on her original task.

"You two are the psychics," she said to Rei and the generals. "Can you get a read on Chibi-Usa?"

"I don't get anything malicious from her," Jadeite said. "I don't know if her story is true, but at the very least she's not lying." Minako scrunched her brow.

"Can I have a map to that sentence?"

"What I mean is _she_ believes her story," Jadeite explained. "Whether or not things happened the way she said they did I can't tell."

"Great," Minako said. "So she's not dangerous?"

"I didn't say that," Jadeite cautioned them. "We still don't know how she knew about the Crystal. It's existence is not common knowledge."

"You guys knew about it," Rei pointed out.

"Metallia and Beryl remembered from the Silver Millennium," Nephrite reminded them. Minako and Rei nodded.

"Ok, so she knows about something she shouldn't," Minako said. "That's bad. But we don't think she herself is a threat?"

"I can do a fire reading on her," Rei offered. "But no, I don't think she's the threat."

"But you think there _is_ a threat," Kunzite said.

"Something has been…off," she told her friends. Nephrite nodded.

"You've felt it too, then?" he asked. Minako looked between the two of them quickly.

"Felt what?" she demanded. "What are you talking about?" Rei looked at her friend and shifted on her feet uncomfortably.

"I didn't think it was anything at first," she said. "I did a fire reading last week and I didn't see anything really. It's just a….feeling, I guess."

'Like the smell in the air before a storm?" Nephrite asked. Rei nodded.

"Something like that," she agreed.

"Why didn't _you_ say anything?" Kunzite asked Nephrite.

"Honestly, for the same reason that Rei didn't," he told Kunzite. "I also did a reading. There was nothing in the stars about any imminent danger. What _could_ we have said? We had a _slightly_ bad feeling?" Kunzite frowned but didn't argue. He turned towards Jadeite.

"Hey don't look at me," he said. "My powers don't work that way. You know that."

"Fine." Kunzite turned his attention back to Rei and Nephrite. "And what makes you think your 'bad feelings' have anything to do with the girl?"

"Nothing really," Rei said. "Except that it would be quite a coincidence if they didn't turn out to be connected." Nephrite nodded.

"I'll look into it again, tonight," he promised. He looked over to where the others were sitting with Chibi-Usa . Usagi was sitting a bit away from the girl and glanced at her occasionally with uncertainty. Mamoru sat beside her, but he was making an effort to keep Chibi-Usa comfortable, too. Kunzite followed his gaze and frowned.

"We still have the princess' safety to consider," he reminded the group. "Do you think the little girl will be a threat to her?" The psychics looked at each other doubtfully.

"I don't think she'd hurt Usagi," Jadeite said. "But she _does_ seem to be determined to get the Crystal."

"But what choice do we have?" Nephrite asked. "Usagi's family is expecting Chibi-Usa to be staying with them."

"If she's a threat to Usagi's safety, we can't let Chibi-Usa stay in her house," Minako said decisively. "Especially since Usagi doesn't have control of the Crystal yet. We'll deal with her family later if we have to keep them separate."

"I'll do a fire reading before they go," Rei offered. "If her being with Usagi is going to be a problem, I can keep her here."

"Your grandfather won't mind?" Minako asked. Rei scoffed.

"It'd be a week before he even noticed."

"Alright then it's settled," Minako said. "What do you need us to do?"

"Stay here," Rei told them, walking towards the temple. "It works better if I'm not distracted."

Once she slid the door closed behind her, Rei knelt on the cushion in front of the ever burning flames and closed her eyes. It took a few moments for the connection to be made. Then Rei saw the first shadows of the visions. Nothing she could make out clearly. She took a deep breath and focused on seeing the images clearer. It was more difficult than it should have been. After a few minutes more, the images stopped and Rei opened her eyes and frowned. She went out and found The Generals and Minako still waiting.

"Well," Minako asked eagerly. Rei's frown deepened as she tried to think of a way to explain what she saw.

"So much of the vision was unclear," she told them. "I got glimpses of a city that seemed to be made of glass and flashes of a battle." Rei shuddered at the memory. She didn't see much, but the little she did see frightened her. She could sense how truly terrified Chibi-Usa had been, but she couldn't get a clear view of her parents, or the place where she had come from. It didn't look like any place on Earth that she knew of. If a city on this planet had been destroyed that way, it surely would have been on the news. She said as much to the others.

"Chibi-Usa's an alien?" Jadeite murmured. Minako shrugged and looked over to the little girl.

"I mean it wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen," she pointed out. "Technically _all_ the Senshi are aliens."

"True," Kunzite agreed. "But what about our original question? Is it safe to let her stay with the princess?" Rei shook her head slowly.

"I don't get a sense of _danger_ from her_,_" she said. "But…"

"But _what_?" Minako asked impatiently.

"She and Usagi are connected somehow," Rei started. "It's deeper than the Crystal. I don't think she'll hurt Usagi at any rate."

"Well, I suppose that's something," Nephrite said. "I can try a star reading tonight to see if I can get anything else."

"I think your efforts would be better used to find out something about the people who attacked her home," Kunzite said. "If Chibi-Usa knows about the Silver Crystal, there's a chance the people who she's running from know about it as well. We should be on our guard against this 'Black Moon Clan'."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"So this is 21st century Tokyo." Berthier gazed out over the city from the windows on the ship. "I thought it would be…shinier." Petz, her eldest sister looked over at her from the couch she was laying on.

"It's before the rise of Crystal Tokyo," she said languidly. "What did you really expect?"

"I know, but it's so…" Berthier waved her hand at the landscape, searching for the right word. "It's just so, plebian."

"What is she whining about now?" The last two Ayakashi sisters, Calaveras and Koan came into the room carrying trays of food and drinks. Petz sat up on the couch and took a glass of wine from the tray. Koan scowled at her and set her tray on the low table.

"This century's Tokyo is so dull!" Berthier complained to her other sisters. "There are no sky boats, no Rare Botanicals Garden. The movies are still shown on screens! Barbaric! What do these people do for fun?"

"A lot of karaoke, if I'm not mistaken," Calaveras, the second eldest sister said. "I don't know why you're complaining. It's not as if we could do all those things even if we _were_ in the 30th century. We wouldn't even be allowed in Crystal Tokyo." Berthier scowled and turned away from the window.

"Cheer up," Koan said. She went over to her older sister and flipped her platinum blonde braid. "We can go shopping for vintage clothes. When we get back home, we can throw a costume party to celebrate Prince Diamond's coronation. "

"First things first," Petz cut in, draining the last of her wine. "We are here on a mission." Rubeus, the leader of their expedition walked in as she was speaking and smirked down at her.

"That's the first half-way intelligent thing I've heard you say all week."

"Which is one more intelligent thing than you've said all year," Petz shot back. "Glad to see you survived your encounter with the queen's lap dog." Koan snickered under her breath.

"Just barely," she said. Rubeus snarled at the sisters.

"I would have been just fine without you."

"Sure you would have, Ruby," Koan drawled. Rubeus' faced darkened and stalked towards the youngest sister.

"Why you little-" Petz got up and stepped between them.

"Settle down, children," she said. "We don't have time to deal with your bruised ego. Have you heard from the prince or Wiseman?" Rubeus glowered at the Ayakashi sisters, but he calmed himself down. He had other things to worry about. He pulled a map out and opened it for the sisters to see. There was a map of Tokyo with five points connected in a star formation and four more gathered in the center.

"These are the Crystal Points," Rubeus explained. "They mark the foundation points of Crystal Tokyo. We fill these points with Dark Power and weaken the establishment of Crystal Tokyo."

"Sounds simple enough," Berthier said. "We can get this done in a week. Then we can go home?" Rubeus shook his head.

"We still have to find the brat," he reminded them. "Wiseman said she could be a threat and he wants her eliminated."

"What on earth could she possibly do?" Koan asked. "Once the foundations of Crystal Tokyo are weakened, how could she still be a problem for us?"

"It's what the prince and Wiseman ordered," Rubeus snapped. "It's not our place to question them."

"So~orry." Koan rolled her eyes. "How do we find the kid?" Rubeus frowned and walked over to the window.

"We wait for her to reveal herself."

"Wait!" Berthier yelled. "That could take ages!" Rubeus sneered at her.

"We will wait as long as it takes," he said. "Besides, she's a scared little girl. She'll give herself away sooner or later." Berthier frowned and looked out over Tokyo.

"Come out, little Rabbit, wherever you are," she muttered.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was a gorgeous spring day. Mamoru looked up at the distant clouds in relief. Usagi had called him in a panic that morning because the sky had been gray and overcast, and she was certain that it would rain. Mamoru managed to soothe her nerves, assuring her that they could move inside if it did rain, but he was sure it wouldn't.

"Yeah, but how do you _know_?" Usagi asked.

"Well, I _do_ have a psychic link with the earth," he reminded her. "And between the two of us we're friends with four _actual_ psychics." On the other end of the line Mamoru heard Usagi huff in frustration.

"Why do you always have to be so…logical?" she asked. Mamoru laughed and with a few more words of encouragement, he hung up with Usagi. And as he predicted the clouds rolled away around noon.

Looking around at gardens surrounding him, Mamoru felt an odd sense of comfort. Gardens always made him feel relaxed. His friends were milling around and joking. Jadeite came up beside him and nudged him in the ribs.

"Beautiful," he said, "but nothing like the gardens of Elysium." Mamoru smiled at his friend and shrugged.

"You memories about it are still sharper than mine," he said. "But I'll take your word for it. You clean up nice, by the way." Jadeite puffed his chest out proudly in his crisp black tuxedo.

"I have an obligation to look extra special for the ladies," he said.

"Oh, please!" Zoicite scoffed. "We all know who _you _want to look extra special for."

"And she would murder you if she heard you talking like that," Mamoru reminded him. The rest of the men laughed at that. They were also donning tuxedos in the same black as Mamoru's alter-ego's outfit. Mamoru stood out among them in a cream colored tuxedo.

"There's the man of the hour!" Motoki entered the garden wearing the same tuxedo as the others. He crossed the grass and unabashedly pulled his best friend into hug.

"I was wondering when you'd show up!" Mamoru said, returning the embrace.

"Reika had a panic this morning," Motoki told him. "She thought all of her dresses made her look fat. Apparently reminding her she isn't fat, she's pregnant is the wrong thing to do. Just a heads up." The other men all laughed at that.

"Have any of the girls shown up yet?" Mamoru asked. Zoicite snickered.

"He means has Usagi shown up yet." Mamoru glared at his friend, but Zoicite just laughed harder and slapped him on the back.

"They are _all_ here," Motoki assured Mamrou. "We all got here at the same time. They sent me to run distraction so you wouldn't see them going in.

"What?" Mamoru looked over Motoki's shoulder searching fruitlessly for his fiancée. "Come on! We're supposed to be friends!"

"You know the rules," Motoki said with a shrug and grin. "No peeking. Besides, the guest will be arriving soon. We should get inside." Nephrite threw his arm around Mamoru's shoulders and shook him a bit.

"How's it feel, buddy?" he laughed jovially. "You're gettin' hitched!"

"First one down the aisle, but not the last!' Jadeite nudged Kunzite in the ribs. Kunzite blushed slightly, which brought laughter from his friends.

The time seemed to drag on, but at last everyone was dressed, the guest had all arrived and were seated, and it was time for the ceremony to begin. Mamoru stood at the end of the aisle with his friends at his side. Soft music was playing as Usagi's bridesmaids walked down the aisle one after the other, but all Mamoru could hear was the thudding of his pulse in his ears. He subtly wiped his sweaty palms and his breath caught anxiously as he waited for his bride. Finally the guests stood and the doors opened and there was Usagi, her arm linked through her father's with an excited grin on her face. This was the moment that Mamoru had waited two lifetimes for.

So intent was Mamoru on his bride that he didn't immediately notice the dark clouds rolling in. A startled cry from one of the men on his left was the first warning that something was wrong. Then the world seemed to explode around them. Mamoru saw the terrified look on Usagi's face before she was ripped away. His friends turned to look at him with accusing glares.

"This is your fault!" Rei said angrily.

"You're so selfish!" Michiru cried anguishedly. "You could have prevented this!"

"I didn't mean for…" Mamoru stammered. "How do I fix this? How do I get her back?" He backed away from the Senshi and ran into the Generals.

"You know what to do," Kunzite told him. His eyes were piercingly cold and he looked like the enemy Mamoru had once faced. "You must stay away from the princess."

As Mamoru stared at them, his friends' forms blurred and twisted until they melded into a looming cloaked figure with glowing eyes. Skeletal hands reached out towards Mamoru holding a still form in its hands. It was Usagi's lifeless body in the bloody, ruined wedding gown.

"You will be the cause of this," the shrouded figure said.

"Who are you?" Mamrou demanded.

"Stay away from Serenity!" Mamoru ran to get Usagi away from the figure but the hands snapped shut and the shrouded figure disappeared. Then everything went black.

"No!"

The anguished cry died on Mamoru's lips as he bolted upright in his bed. His breath came out in strangled heaves as he looked around his empty room. He could still hear the shrieks of horror and pain. Frustrated, he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes until flashes of colored light exploded in his vision, but he could still see the look on Usagi's face as she was ripped away.

It wasn't the first time he had had that dream. They had started nearly a month earlier, but they had been getting more and more frequent. This was the first time that he dreamt of the wedding, but all the dreams had the same ending. The shrouded figure held out Usagi's lifeless body and warned Mamoru to keep away from her.

Mamoru's heart slowed to a normal pace and he wiped the sweat from his face. He got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. He took it out to the terrace and let the early fall air cool him off. The dreams were intense and frightening, but there didn't seem to be a reason to mention them to anyone. Mamoru spent a few more minutes on the terrace before he felt calm enough to get back to sleep. He sat down on the edge of his bed and looked across the room at the picture of him and Usagi on his dresser. It was a candid shot of them bickering in the park, but it was clear they weren't angry. Mamoru was caressing his girlfriend's hand and Usagi was on the verge of laughter. The picture brought a smile to Mamrou's face.

_Crick!_

The glass cracked and Mamrou watched in horror as in the picture Usagi's face contorted in agony and she slid to the grass in a pool of blood. Mamoru snatched picture from the dresser, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, it was the same. Usagi was still in a heap on the grass.

_Stay away from Serenity._

Mamoru didn't bother to check to see where the voice came from. He already knew he wouldn't find anyone. He dropped the picture and buried his head in his hands.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Usagi slumped against the door and took a deep breath. School had been almost torturous. She spent the day more distracted than normal and she failed a test that she had felt prepared for just two days earlier. The group had decided that Chibi-Usa wasn't dangerous, but Usagi wasn't sure that she trusted her with her family. Or in a school full of elementary school kids for that matter. Usagi frowned and listened for any signs of life in the house.

It was quiet.

Surely, Usagi thought, her mother couldn't have found her a place in a school already? But there didn't seem to be anyone home. Usagi didn't have much time to worry about it, though. She was due at Rei's for a training session with Luna, but she had just enough time to change out of her school uniform. Usagi went up to her room and froze at the door.

There was a small white envelope on her bed. On the bottom corner was the familiar logo of a flaming skate. Usagi's heart jumped and her mouth went dry. Hesitantly she took it off of the bed and opened it. It felt heavy, but that meant good news…Right?

_Dear Ms. Tsukino,_

_Our scouts were very impressed with your try out for the Ganbari Skate Expo. You show a lot of promise, especially for such a young skater-_ So far so good, Usagi thought. She continued reading. _The decision making process was difficult this year, but after much thought and consideration, we've managed to come to some very hard decisions-_ I wish they'd come to the point. _Unfortunately we chose to not have you-_

Usagi stopped reading and sat down on her bed. Her fingers clenched around the letter and she squeezed her eyes tight against the threatening tears. A rustling from her closet gave her a welcome distraction from the news. She crossed the room, allowing the hurt to settle into more anger than she actually felt and threw the closet door open. Chibi-Usa was sitting on the floor in a pile of shoes and clothes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Usagi demanded. "What did you do to my closet?"

"It was a mess when I got here," Chibi-Usa retorted. "I made it better." Usagi squeezed her hands into tight fists and glared at the little girl stonily.

"You are _not_ allowed to come into my room without my permission," she ground out through clenched teeth. "What are you doing here?" Chibi-Usa drew herself to her full three foot nothing height and glared up at Usagi almost as fiercely.

"I'm looking for the Crystal," she told Usagi. The older girl laughed mirthlessly despite herself.

"You really think I'd be stupid enough to just leave it lying around?" Usagi asked. "Especially with you here? You grimy little hobbit!" Chibi-Usa sniffed in a disdainful way that didn't belong to a six year old child and retorted,

"I think you're too stupid to eat a sandwich. You're one of those people that can't get anything right." Usagi's spine stiffened and she snatched Chibi-Usa by the arm and half-dragged her out of the room, ignoring the girl's indignant protests.

"Stay out. Of my. ROOM!"Usagi snapped at her before she slammed the door shut in Chibi-Usa's face. Then she threw herself onto her bed and screamed her frustrations into her pillow while she let herself give into to a truly spectacular tantrum.

_Are you quite done?_ The voice of the princess was quiet, but just bordering close enough to snarky to set Usagi on the precipice of rage again. What on earth could _she_ possibly want?

_I want for you to see the bigger picture,_ was the reply. Usagi rolled her eyes. What could the _princess_ know about the being turned down for something she worked so hard for?

_We're the same person,_ Serenity reminded Usagi. _I know what know. I feel what you feel. But I clearly see things more rationally than you do. _Usagi took her pillow and pressed it over her head. It was difficult feeling like two different people at the same time and she longed for the day when her psyche adjusted to all her new memories and didn't need Serenity anymore. There was nothing worse than being angry with yourself.

_You _would_ look rather silly yelling at no one,_ Serenity agreed. _By the way, you're going to be late to training._ Usagi sat up in bed quickly and looked at her clock. Serenity was right. She had to be at Rei's in fifteen minutes. Muttering angrily to herself, she stopped to fix her hair in the mirror. She nearly gave up when she saw her face. It was red and splotchy and there was a wild look in her tear stained eyes.

_Calm down!_ Serenity ordered. _It's not so very bad. Fix your hair and breathe. You're eyes aren't swollen and you'll be able to blame any leftover flush on your cheeks on your inevitable mad dash to the temple. _ Usagi took a few deep breaths and fixed her hair and changed her clothes. It helped. She still looked unhappy, but it wasn't nearly as bad. She checked her clock and sighed. She was going to be very late.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kunzite looked around the café dubiously. It was just after four and the after school crowd had taken over the shop. It wasn't his first pick for a meeting about such a sensitive topic. The noise alone irritated him. But somehow when he called to arrange a meeting with the leader of the Senshi, Minako had talked him into meeting at one of the many busy student hang outs. He'd have to talk to her about that. But first he needed to find her. He scanned the tables quickly before spotting the young woman's trademark red bow. Minako had picked a secluded enough table considering. She hadn't seen him yet. Her attention was on something across the room.

"Minako," Kunzite pulled out the seat across from her. Minako looked up at him and motioned away frantically.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but you can't sit here." Kunzite frowned and looked around the coffee shop. All the tables were taken. The only other available seat was at the bar at the window.

"We're supposed to be discussing Chibi-Usa," Kunzite said after a moment. Minako gave him a pleading look and Kunzite sighed. "Alright, why can't I sit with you?"

"Because of that guy over there." Minako glanced towards a table in the corner. Kunzite followed her gaze and saw a young man with his school books spread out on the table in front of him. He was busy ripping pages out of his notebook and trying unsuccessfully to throw them into a trashcan. Minako punched him in the arm, hard.

"Why did you…"

"Don't look at him!" Minako hissed.

"What about that guy?" Kunzite asked. He curled his hand into a fist to resist rubbing his injured arm. For such a small girl, Minako had a decent hook.

"I love him," Minako said dreamily. "I've seen him every day for the last two weeks, and I'm trying to get him to come talk to me. But he won't come over if you're here! Now go!"

Kunzite rolled his eyes. He found it hard to believe that this boy crazed teenage girl and the formidable Sailor Venus were one and the same. He looked back over at the object of her affections-who was now laughing on his phone- and sat down.

"Hey!" Minako protested.

"We are supposed to be talking about this new threat, not your love life," Kunzite said. "Or lack thereof." Minako favored him with a dead-pan gaze.

"You are the worst!" She folded her arms and made a face at him before looking at the boy on the other side of the café. Kunzite sighed resignedly. There was no way he was going to get any sense out of Minako with the boy there.

"So what's his name?" he asked. Minako, with stars in her eyes, shrugged.

"I have no idea." Kunzite shook his head. Of course.

"Here's a thought," the general said. "Why don't you go ask him?" Minako's eyes went wide.

"Really?" she asked. "You don't think that's a little forward?"

"He seems like the kind of guy who'd enjoy getting attention from a girl like you," Kunzite said shrugging carelessly. Minako thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"Yeah, you're absolutely right!" she agreed. "I'm a babe! He'd be lucky to get a date with me! I'm going in!" Kunzite waved her on and signaled for the waitress.

Minako strode confidently towards the boy's table. She didn't know why she hadn't done this before. She was a strong, confident, modern woman. She was beautiful. She was a catch. And, darn it, she was Sailor Venus, leader of the guardians to the last heir of the Moon Kingdom! This guy was about to have the luckiest day of his life!

"Hi, can I get another cup of coffee?" Minako stared blankly at the boy. His black hair fell messily over his dark brown eyes, and he had the scruffy beginnings of a beard on his square chin. Minako tried to fight a blush and cleared her throat.

"I'm…ah…I'm not the waitress," she said. "I'm Minako, and I just wanted to tell you that I think you….have the same phone as me!" She picked up his black flip phone and pulled hers out of her pocket. They were a perfect match.

"Hey! Look at that!" the boy said. His crooked grin made Minako's stomach clench nervously. "Color Life 2, right? Great phone. I'm Shiro."

"I don't know," Minako said. "I've been having some problems with mine. I can't program my ringtone. I don't know what's wrong with it."

"I don't have that problem," Shiro said with a shrug. "I can take a look at it for you if you'd like." Minako flashed her brightest smile and handed him her phone.

"That'd be great!" Shiro worked quickly and scrolled through the phone.

"Here it is," he said after a moment. "You have to look under Settings, and you can pick whatever tone you want."

"Thanks," Minako said, taking the phone back. Shiro smiled and gathered his books.

"I've got to get going. It was nice to meet you, Miku."

"It's Minako," she corrected. She set her phone down on the table next to the other, and extended her hand to shake his.

"Sorry," Shiro laughed. "I'm awful with names."

"No problem," Minako said, snatching the phone off the table while Shiro finished shoving things into his bag.

"See you around," he said. With a wave, Shiro left the café and Minako went back to the table where she left Kunzite with a satisfied grin. He raised an eyebrow and took his coffee.

"So, did you steal his heart?" he asked. Minako grinned and sat down across from him.

"Even better," she answered, taking a sip from his cup. "I stole his phone."

"You what?" Kunzite looked at Minako incredulously as she placed Shiro's phone on the table.

"I'm brilliant!" Minako squealed. "I'll just give him enough time to get far enough away from the café so that he can't just come back for it, and arrange to meet and swap phones!"

"You are insane," Kunzite said, shaking his head. "I can't believe we had such a hard time defeating you before." Minako glared at him.

"It'll be a cute story to tell our grandchildren," she defended herself. "Are you dead inside?"

"Unreal," Kunzite muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are we going to discuss what we came to discuss or not?"

"Yeah, yeah," Minako said, waving her hand carelessly. "Could you get me a coffee first? Not like the one you're drinking, though. I want something sweet. And maybe something cold. With whipped cream."

"So you _don't_ want coffee?" Kunzite signaled for the waitress.

"Yes, I want coffee," Minako said exasperatedly. "I just don't want to _taste _it." Kunzite rolled his eyes.

"She wants a frappachino," he told the waitress. "And I'd like another coffee."

"I'll be right back," she said. She disappeared and came back five minutes later with their orders.

"So when are you going to call this guy?" Kunzite asked when the waitress had left them again. Minako shrugged and looked at the phone.

"I figured I've give him an hour or so before…" Minako was cut off by the blaring of a guitar riff. Minako nearly dropped the phone as she fumbled to flip it open. "Oh my gosh! That's my number! It's him. It's him! What do I do?" Kunzite looked at her strangely.

"Why don't you just answer it?"

"Shut up! I know what to do!" Minako hissed. She pressed the receive button and answered as calmly as she could. "Hello?"

"Hey! It's Shiro."

"I'm sorry, who?" Minako grinned at Kunzite and mouthed, '_It's him!'_ Kunzite rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"It's the guy from the coffee shop," he said. "You know, the Color Life 2 guy."

"Oh! Hi! I remember!"

"Hey, listen," Shiro went on. "I think when I programed your phone, I accidentally left with your phone and you kept mine."

"Is _that_ how it happened?" Minako laughed. "How _cute_ is that story?" She looked Kunzite pointedly. He just took another sip of his coffee.

"So I think we should meet up." Minako bounced in her seat excitedly and covered the receiver on the phone.

"_He wants to meet up,_" she hissed to Kunzite. "That sounds like a good idea. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about in front of Sistina?" Shiro suggested.

"That fancy Italian place in Shibuya?" Minako asked. Her grin was so wide, Kunzite thought her face would split. "That sounds great!"

"Are you sure it's not too out of the way?" Minako shook her head wildly and her long blonde hair whipped around her.

"Not at all!" she assured Shiro. "I just need to stop by my house to change."

"Fantastic!" Shiro said, relieved. "I'm meeting my girlfriend there. She'd flip out if I was late." Minako's face fell immediately. It felt as if someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water over her head.

"Girlfriend?" she asked. That caught Kunzite's attention.

"Yeah," Shiro told her. "Our anniversary was last week, but we couldn't do anything then." Minako hit her head repeatedly with her free hand .

"That's so…sweet," she forced herself to say.

"Can you meet me there in two hours?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah that's fine." Minako winced at the way her voice squeaked on the last word, but Shiro didn't seem to notice.

"Thank you so much! You are a life saver!"

"No problem."

"Alright, see you later!" Shiro hung up the phone and Minako closed the one in her hand. Then with a groan, she let her head fall to the table.

"He has a girlfriend!" she lamented. "Of all the rotten luck!" Kunzite chuckled and covered his mouth with his hand when Minako gave him a withering glare. "Seriously! You are the _living_ worst!"

"That I may be," Kunzite said, smiling a bit. "But I didn't steal a guy's phone trying to get a date. Can we please discuss Chibi-Usa now?" Minako folded her arms and glared at the table petulantly.

"Fine."

"Fantastic," Kunzite muttered. "I don't think the girl herself is a threat, but strange things seem to be happening around her and we can't be too careful with the safety of the prin- with Usagi and Mamoru. Now I think-"

"You have to come with me," Minako cut in.

"What…?" Kunzite wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"To make the switch."

"Are you talking about the…? Minako, we have important things to discuss."

"Come on, Kunz!" she pleaded. "I can't show up by myself."

"Why not? What could you possibly need _me _ there for?"

"If I show up alone, Shiro's girlfriend will think I'm trying to steal her boyfriend." Kunzite arched a brow at that.

"Weren't you?"

"No!" Minako said, affronted. "If I knew he had a girlfriend, I wouldn't have tried anything. But I can't go by myself. I'll look pathetic!"

"Well, what is it you want me to do?"

"You just need to come and look at all masculine and stuff." Kunzite's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Look all masculine and… stuff," he repeated drily. "You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend."

"Well, you don't have to actually say it," Minako said. "Let them _assume_ it. It's not even technically like lying."

"You are a powerful warrior, and a _somewhat _competent and intelligent leader," Kunzite said, looking completely mystified. "How can you still be such a…bubblehead?"

"Bubblehead?" Minako snorted derisively. "No one speaks like that anymore."

"Nonetheless, it's true."

"Kunzite!" Minako whinned. "Just…ok?" Kunzite stared at Minako stonily for a long while, before shaking his head.

"You're not going to let this go until I agree?" Minako shook her head vigorously. Kunzite heaved a long suffering sigh and ran a hand down his face. "Do you _promise_ to sit down and discuss our _actual_ business if I agree to go along with this charade?"

"Yes," Minako promised. "We will sit down and discuss it like grown-ups. In someplace that's a lot quieter than this café." Kunzite's face fell completely at that.

"You never intended to discuss Chibi-Usa here at all did you?"

"Um, hi," Minako waved her hand around the crowded café. "Anyone could over hear us. How could you think we'd talk about that _here _of all places? Totes ridickie. Get your head in the game. Now," Minako stood up and grabbed her purse, "I have to go get cute. Meet me at Shibuya Station in an hour and a half. You don't mind paying, right? Thanks, Kunz! You're the best!"

Kunzite could only gape as Minako left the café in a whirlwind of blonde hair and disappeared down the street.

"But you…why would…? _Why _did you suggest meeting here in the first place?" Kunzite demanded futilely. A few customers looked at him quizzically, but Kunzite just sneered at them and threw some money on the table for their drinks, then left muttering about silly teenage girls and their ridiculous stunts.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Luna could tell something was off. Usagi was less focused than normal. She hadn't made any sort of connection with the crystal. She couldn't even seem to sit still long enough to really try. Luna could see she was already getting frustrated.

"You must focus, Usagi," Luna said. Usagi huffed irritably and got to her feet.

"I'm just not feeling it today," she complained. "Can't we work on something else for a while? I haven't done any physical training this week."

"We're focusing on harnessing your Senshi powers this week," Luna reminded her. "That is just as important, if not_ more_ important than your physical combat training."

"Well tell _that_ to the stupid crystal!" Usagi demanded. "I'm doing what I can." She paced the room agitatedly, and Luna watched her, flicking her tail thoughtfully.

"Maybe," she suggested, " you'll feel better if you talk about what's bothering you." Usagi stopped her pacing and stared at Luna.

"You train with the girls every week," she said. "And when Haruka is here it's even crazier. When do they have time for their after school stuff?" Luna stopped for a moment to consider that.

"They don't," she answered at last. "Yes Ami has her cram school and Rei has her duties here at the temple, but the girls don't spend much time in after school clubs. Any extracurricular activities have had to take second place to their duties as Senshi."

"So they don't have any time to do the things they want to do," Usagi stated more than asked. "What about when they graduate and have to start looking for jobs?"

"Don't misunderstand me," Luna said. "It's not that the girls don't have their own separate interests to pursue. They just do it when they have the time. Makoto, for instance, is teaching herself different cooking styles through cookbooks. Ami is studying Spanish using online courses."

"What about me?" Usagi asked.

"What about you?" Luna's small pink nose wrinkled in confusion. Usagi slid down the wall and slumped with her arms lying limp at her sides.

"I don't think I can do this," she admitted.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"Any of this! I failed a test today because I couldn't focus on anything but this Chibi-Usa thing and…" Usagi furrowed her brows and dropped her gaze to the floor?  
"And…" Luna pressed, not unkindly.

"I didn't get into the skate competition I tried out for," she told Luna. She started crying- not loud sobs, but a few tears slipping out when she didn't mean for them to. Luna sat beside Usagi and rested her head on the girl's hand comfortingly.

"I didn't spend enough time practicing," Usagi said. "I made stupid mistakes. I've been working for that chance for a year and a half. I've never worked that hard for anything. And now I have to start all over." Luna sat up and met Usagi's eyes. She looked sad and a little pitying, but Usagi could see sternness there, too. It wasn't unlike her mother when she was preparing to lecture her.

"Usagi," Luna started, weighing her words carefully. "You realize that we have only just begun your training. As the guardian of the Silver Crystal, it's imperative that you learn to control and harness its power, not only for the protection of the planet, but for your own safety."

"What are you saying?" Usagi eyed Luna suspiciously. Luna took a deep breath looking very solemn.

"What I mean is you need to prioritize," Luna said. "What is most important in your life at this point is your duty as a Senshi and as a student." Usagi leapt to her feet once more and bore down angrily on Luna. The guardian sat primly, ready for whatever Usagi was going to say.

"So I have to give up skating, _my dream_ so I can learn to be a superhero?" Usagi demanded. "No. No way! It's not going to happen! Luna, it's the _only_ thing I've ever worked this hard at. I'm _good_ at it. I could be _great_ at it. I'm never going to be top of the class, or…or get into the best university. And I don't want to!" Luna flinched a little at the emotion in Usagi's voice, but she stayed firm.

"You are far brighter than you give yourself credit for," Luna assured her. "And you can continue skating, but it cannot be your priority. Especially now with Chibi-Usa's appearance." Usagi raked at her hair in frustration and began pacing again, erratically. This was everything she never wanted out of finding out she was the lost princess.

"I didn't ask for this! I _never _wanted this responsibility!" Luna just managed to get out of Usagi's way before she stepped on Luna's tail. She tried to reason with her, and she told Usagi as calmly as she could,

"No one _asked _ for this responsibility, Usagi, but it _is _ your responsibility."

"It's not fair! I'm only 16! I want to be a normal teenager. I want to go to school and not pay attention! I want to go on dates with my boyfriend that don't end in us discussing magical stones and fairy tale kingdoms. I want to compete in the skate expo that I've been training for since I was twelve."

"Usagi, I know it's a difficult life, but you have an amazing power and…" Usagi stopped pacing and spun towards Luna, glaring menacingly.

"If you say anything about great responsibility, so help me, I will scream," she said tersely.

"It's your duty to protect the planet. As princess…"

"Princess of what?" Usagi nearly shouted. " The moon kingdom, in case you haven't noticed, is gone!"

"Enough!" Luna's voice cut through the room with surprising power. There was an odd mix of anger, frustration and pity as she took a few calming breaths before she spoke again. "As wielder of the Silver Crystal, you are in a position of great power and great vulnerability. Chibi-Usa's mere presence should remind you of that. While it's true that the girl herself isn't a threat, we don't know who she's running from or what _they_ know about the Crystal. You may not understand it now. You may not even like it. But you _are_ a guardian of this planet and this planet needs you to accept that."

Usagi's stony gaze was fixed on her feet and she wiped angrily at the tears spilling down her cheeks. Part of her-a part that she was _sure_ was mostly Princess Serenity- knew Luna was right. She even accepted that it was her duty to protect Earth from whatever threats came. But Usagi couldn't accept that it came at the expense of something that she had wanted for so long. Skating had long since been part of her identity. It made her special and not just some blonde ditz who couldn't make the grade at school or who otherwise had no particular talents to speak of. Luna sat at Usagi's feet expectantly. Usagi couldn't return her gaze. Finally, Luna sighed and lowered her head.

"I think we've done enough today," she said. "Go home and get some rest."Usagi nodded mutely and grabbed her things.

Usagi was surprised to see how little time had actually passed. She couldn't have been in the dojo for more than an hour. The sun was still shining and the air was warm, but there were already signs of autumn's approach. The trees around the temple grounds had started turning colors. Soon the whole property would be littered with leaves and Rei would complain about having to sweep them up. Usagi looked up towards the house where Rei and her grandfather lived. Her friend was probably in the kitchen fixing snacks. The girls were supposed to be meeting for a study group. Usagi was supposed to join them after training with Luna, but….

_It wouldn't be the wisest choice to skip that of all things._ Usagi scowled at Serenity's intrusion. She was sick and tired of everyone in her life telling her what to do.

"I need a break," she decided and headed for the stairs. She could hear Serenity sigh, but she didn't care. Usagi ran down the stairs, then down the street, relishing the sound her feet made on the pavement. Her purse hit her sided in rhythm with her erratic stride. It wasn't as fast as skating, but sometimes running felt just as freeing.

_WHAM!_

Usagi heedlessly rounded a corner slammed into Mamoru with enough force to send her stumbling backwards onto the ground. Mamoru managed to catch himself before he fell, but only just. He looked down at Usagi as if he had seen a ghost, but Usagi didn't notice or care. She launched herself off the ground and threw her arms around him.

"I'm _so_ glad to see you!" she said. "I'm having the worst day. Can we-"

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Mamoru cut her off, untangling her arms from around his neck. "I'm in the middle of something. I can't talk right now." Usagi's face clouded with disappointment.

"Oh!" she said. "Well, can we talk later then?" Mamoru looked around uncomfortably and edged around her.

"I don't know," he told her. "Maybe. I have to speak to Nephrite and I don't know how long it's going to take."

"Okay. Call me when you're done?" Usagi asked. Mamoru looked as if he were about to say something, but then he stopped and nodded.

"Alright." Usagi looked uncertain. Impulsively, Mamoru pulled her in for a quick hug and kissed her on the forehead. As he was leaving he said, "I'll call." And with that he disappeared around the corner. Usagi turned and continued home. She didn't feel like running anymore.

"I wonder if Naru's home," she muttered to herself.

"She probably won't want to be around you either." Usagi spun around and was startled to see Chibi-Usa standing behind her.

"Are you following me?" she demanded. "You obnoxious little troll!" Chibi-Usa turned her nose up haughtily and sniffed.

"I _have _to if I'm going to find the Crystal," Chibi-Usa said. "What did you do to scare Mamo-chan off so quick?" Usagi's eyes bulged at that.

"Scare him …_Mamo-chan_? Where do you even get off…?" she sputtered. Chibi-Usa waved her off carelessly.

"Don't bother talking if you can't even finish your sentence. I can't believe they'd trust someone as dumb as you with the Silver Crystal." Usagi felt for a moment that she was going to slap the little girl, but a moment later the anger passed and she just felt drained. Huffing, she turned and continued on her way, ignoring Chibi-Usa.

"H-hey!" she called after Usagi. "Where are you going?" Usagi rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. Chibi-Usa ran to catch up and walked just behind her pretend cousin.


End file.
